PB&J owners have no guilt about hogging employees

Erin Beatty

Staff Writer

Thomas Dudley doesn't look like your typical Harley rider. He's married with five kids and drives a 1996 Chevy Blazer to his job as executive chef at Yia Yias.

But that's about to change. At PB&J Restaurants Inc.'s July Fourth picnic, Dudley received his reward for 15 years of service with the company: a 2004 Harley-Davidson Sportster.

Dudley said he hadn't ridden a motorcycle since he was young. Asked whether the Sportster would change that, he said: "Oh, hell yeah."

PB&J co-owners Paul Khoury and Bill Crooks presented three employees with Harleys at the picnic. Rene Sebus, a corporate office manager, and Nate Lawrence, a bartender at the company's Yahooz restaurant, also got bikes for 15 years of service.

Khoury said it's important to him to reward loyal employees in an industry where faces change often. He wouldn't disclose PB&J's turnover rate, but People Report, a Dallas-based human resource analysis and tracking firm, put the industry rate at more than 100 percent.

"Our customers see some of our restaurant employees every time they come in," Khoury said. "It's like the 'Cheers' thing. That's what's helped keep our company successful."

Since its founding in Kansas City in 1987, PB&J has grown to a dozen restaurants and about 1,000 employees. The company's revenue was about $30 million last year, and Khoury said he expects revenue of $33 million this year.

The idea of using motorcycles to drive loyalty came about roughly 15 years ago. An employee asked what he would get if he stayed with the company for 15 years.

"I said, 'What do you want?'" Khoury said. "And he said, 'How about a Harley?'

"So I said, 'OK, I'll give you a Harley.'"

The Harleys are a fitting gift for PB&J employees, Khoury said, because they're "top of the line and a little bit wild," just like the company. Plus, he said, "the Sportster is made in Kansas City, just like we are."

Crooks said he's "100 percent behind" the Harley giveaway.

"It's good for us to reward employees who've been with us awhile and know our goals and values," Crooks said. "They can help pass those on to future employees."

Sebus, a mother of two grown sons who drives a Volkswagen Bug, is not a big Harley aficionado. Still, she said she was thrilled to get one.

"It's so unique," Sebus said. "I love telling my friends about it."

Sebus, who has worked for PB&J as a bartender, hostess, bookkeeper and now as an office manager, said she has a deep respect for the company's owners.

"I appreciate that they've allowed me to be a part of their success," she said. "I have every plan to stay with the company until they don't want me anymore."

Reach Erin Beatty at 816-421-5900 or ebeatty@bizjournals.com.